If you're looking for drug or alcohol addiction help - you'll have already realised the myriad of options on offer. Many simply don't know how to compare treatment providers and end up settling for less.
If you're considering rehab treatment in Gaer, first check our guide below - this is the UK’s no 1 guide on how to find the right rehab centre for you.
Step 1 - Understand What You Need
When you or a loved one are finally ready for help, it can be tempting to pick up the phone and sign up for the first rehab clinic you can find. But considering first, what your treatment needs truly are, can help you pay for rehab just once, and not twice.
Detox .v. Rehab
Addiction treatment for alcohol or drugs usually starts with a detox, then therapy (rehab), followed by aftercare. But which of these is right for you?
- Have you been detoxed before?
You could go for a detox-only programme, but run greater risk of future relapse if other supports are not in place.
Rehab In The Right Place
Amongst the concerns we hear each day, the location of the clinic is one of the most common. But sometimes, you can be too close to home.
Unless you're extremely unwell, consider anything up to 100 mile radius and focus instead on quality of care.
Detox beds can be found in hospitals, and virtually any clinic. But does their long term support match your needs in the longer term? It pays to shop around here.
See all the locations Abbeycare serve, here.
Detox Requirements
Making sure you're getting the right support, can have a serious impact on long term results.
This can be especially important where you have complex drug or alcohol detox needs.
While an admissions team or sales team can give an indication of likely detox methods, this is of course finalised and decided upon by the supervising medical professionals present.
Does the medical team at a given clinic specialise in addiction? Or do they practice in more general matters, with addiction as a second interest?
KEY QUESTIONS
- Are you a rehab clinic, or a hospital?
- What professionals in the clinic are admininstering detox?
- If I have questions about my specific detox needs, who would I speak to?
Step 2 - What Does A Stay In Rehab Actually Involve?
What should I expect, inside an addiction clinic?
For in-patient treatment stays, you'll have your own room in the clinic, where you stay, live and sleep, for anywhere from 7-84 days or more (28 days is the average stay).
Since every individual is different, and needs can vary widely, (even two people consuming the same amount of alcohol or drugs can need very different timescale and treatment) - a personal assessment is usually needed, before admission to a clinic can go ahead.
Keeping Track Of Getting Better
After admission to a clinic, staff will usually look to plan out your care in the clinic, and how that will work, for you personally.
Most providers, at the start of your stay, will help you visualise personal goals and progress targets, in a specifically designed care plan.
This document will be used as your yardstick to measure progress and keep track. Make sure to take an active part in this stage.
KEY QUESTIONS
- Is the care planning the same for every client, or is it personalised to me?
- How do clinic staff know they're doing a good job at helping clients achieve recovery?
- What will my care plan include?
- Is there a member of staff assigned to me personally?
What Actually Happens Inside A Clinic?
What actually happens in a clinic, every day?
It can be tricky to discern exactly what happens each day in treatment, as the routine can vary.
Private clinics are normally group oriented. Consistency can be maintained by everyone sharing in the same day structure, usually in the form of an agenda. The agenda lets you know what's happening when, and what activities you should participate in.
The normal first stage of treatment is detox. The pace of your treatment can vary. For example, for those with lighter intake levels, progression beyond the detox phase of clinic work can happen in just a few days. Others may take 7 days or longer. This variation is natural.
Always enquire about having a look around the clinic, by visiting first, before committing. Most clinics don't have an open-door policy, but will happily let you see inside, by arrangement.
KEY QUESTIONS
- Is it possible to see internal photos of the centre, before admitting?
- Can you send me an example of what the daily schedule is like, in the clinic?
- Do you offer the opportunity to look around the clinic before admitting?
- When do I get to start taking part in the therapeutic help inside the clinic?
Does Covid-19 Affect My Rehab Treatment?
Since rehab treatment is usually a communal environment, you should expect to have to accommodate others on the journey.
Only with the support of others on the journey, can we hope to make a full recovery.
But recovery gains can only be made safely, with consideration to other health factors, in the bigger picture.
Step 3 - Set A Budget
Getting funds together for rehab in Gaer takes planning, for most families.
The ability of third sector or voluntary organisations to deal with more complex detox needs is usually slim - it's worth looking into this though.
Your mental health matters, and because of the costs involved, it's easy to opt for a very low end provider, with minimal support. Not always a great idea.
Double check standards of care and therapy provided for lower cost providers - you may be surprised. Opt instead for a middle-tier clinic, with a better balance of cost to care levels provided.
Use this step to get a clear idea of what rough budget you can commit to treatment, ringing round a few providers for initial pricing if needed.
Options Beyond Rehab
AA/NA/GA Meetings
Most cities and towns across the world play host to mutual aid style meetings locally, like the 12 step driven groups of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.
Sadly, community aids like this are unable to help with the most acute phase, needed at the start of recovery - detox.
Mutual aid meetings have earned their place in everyone's recovery. But the first stage of help - physically detoxing - will need more specialist care.
NHS Addiction Options
In the first instance, it's possible to present to your GP and discuss the possibility of referral to your local addictions team, in the NHS. They will usually help you monitor the effects of addiction in your life, but are unable to refer or provide funding for immediate detox, in most cases.
Usually, only the more complex cases with a long history of addiction are considered for placement into specialist detox units.
Aggregating funds together, between friends and family, can be a good approach to securing private treatment instead, where the individual can't finance it themselves.
Step 4 - Read The Only Impartial Reports
Reviews on websites are easy to pass off as genuine, but how do you really know they are?
Arm yourself from the outset, with the *only* truly impartial consumer report available for private clinics - the Care Quality Commission (England & Wales) and/or Care Inspectorate (Scotland) inspection reports.
Inspectors from these organisations visit private clinics nationwide, and check they comply with minimum standards of care, producing reports which they publish on the world wide web.
Treatment providers are graded against standardised performance measures like environment, care standards, and support provided to clients.
Clinic Inspections - What You Need to Know
Inspections can be "announced" (the clinic is aware in advance) or "unannounced" (inspection teams arrive without warning) - so for the best insight into everyday care levels, check for unannounced reports.
Step 5 - Choose A Clinic
At this point, you've got enough info to decide on one of the clinics you've seen.
When you call the admissions team for the clinic you’ve chosen, expect to go through an initial telephone assessment, and pay a deposit towards treatment, as explained above.
An assessment shouldn’t normally take more than 20 minutes, after which you can pay any required financial deposit over the phone and expect some form of booking confirmation and receipt of payment.
Any additional financial issues, such as paying via insurance policy, would normally also be sorted out at this stage.
Step 6 - Paying For Rehab
As mentioned, an initial deposit payment is usually expected.
Because the total booking value is high, even a small percentage deposit could work out anywhere from £2,000 - £4,000 for the higher end providers.
A few offer payment plans to help spread the cost of rehab, although nowadays this is less common.
Ask for an email confirmation of booking, and get clarity on when the admission details will be finalised, and your date of admission confirmed.
Paying For The Rest Of Treatment
Treatment providers will expect payment for the remainder of the balance of treatment, upon arrival the clinic.
It’s worth making the effort to settle this on time, as some providers can levy surcharges for late payment, and this quickly adds up, on larger balances.
Step 7 - Admission
If you don't already have it, contact the admissions team and confirm your date and time of arrival.
Most clinics will expect you to pack these basics:
It's worth checking usage policies re internet and wifi, and devices, as you may be disappointed if the clinic you've chosen asks you to hand them in, before your stay begins, without prior warning.
It's also worth ensuring travel arrangement ahead of schedule - as some providers with have surcharges for late arrival.
At this point, congratulations! Your recovery journey has already begun.
Asking The Right Questions
Thanks so much for reading the ultimate guide on finding rehab treatment in Gaer.
Thanks for reading our free guide.
Abbeycare's UK clinics are available to those in Gaer.
We've helped hundreds (thousands probably) move beyond addiction, and start a new life.
All that experience has helped us assist those with even the most complicated detox and rehab needs.
Our team can even get transport organised too, if needed, from your location (with an extra charge).
You can read our inspection reports from regulatory bodies, on our clinic pages, for: Abbeycare Scotland, and Abbeycare Gloucester.
Our admissions team will help you navigate the treatment options.
Detox is possible, safely and comfortably, with the help of our medical team.
The Abbeycare therapy team are specialists in helping you identify and work through the underlying triggers behind addiction.
Our clinic team are ready to help you get started.
The only thing left is - are you ready?
To ask a question, or to arrange admission, ring our team now on 01603 513 091.
